The Stranger
Jack Fiddler, known in-game as The Stranger or Flamethrower Guy, was a hermit that lived on Blackwood Mountain, hunting and trapping the Wendigos that inhabited it. He was voiced and motion captured by writer and actor Larry Fessenden. Appearance The Stranger has long neck-length, greying hair, and a scar over his right eye, likely acquired from a Wendigo encounter. He is missing several teeth in the left side of his mouth. Despite being middle-aged, he's physically fit enoguh to carry a full flamethrower at a jogging speed with little effort. He wears thick clothes to insulate himself from the elements, and when wielding his flamethrower, he dons a bandanna and goggles as protection against the instrument's heat. His outfit consists of khaki-colored jeans, a dark sweater, a green, hooded utility jacket with fur trim, heavy boots, a knit cap, and thick gloves. Across his chest, he wears a small Native American artifact that resembles a dreamcatcher. Personality While the Wendigo are a legitimate threat, it appears that hunting them has become an all-consuming obsession. He is adept at tracking, trapping, and killing the creatures, a pursuit he devoted his life to at great personal cost. He is also savvy in hand-to-hand combat and wielding weapons as he is able to disarm Chris or Mike with ease. He keeps track of visitors to the mountain, but prefers isolation and only makes contact with people when they enter the Wendigos' preferred hunting areas like the mines. Despite his intimidating outward appearance, he is not a malevolent character. He is protective and tells the survivors about the Wendigos despite having a vendetta against the Washington Family. Earlier, when he encounters Emily in the mines, he attempts to calm the frightened girl. Until Dawn Biography The Stranger lives as a hermit on Blackwood Mountain, spending his life hunting and trapping the Wendigos that inhabit it, much like his grandfather, who was unable to capture the fiercest of the Wendigos and died while attempting to trap it. According to dialogue mentioning him, he has Cree ancestry. Involvement 'One Year Ago' On the night of Hannah and Beth's disappearance, the Stranger had finally tracked down the Wendigo that killed his grandfather. After noticing the girls, he realized they were being chased by it, and tried to save them. Unfortunately, he was too late as they fell off of a cliff while trying to escape the Wendigo. Stricken with grief and anger, the Stranger killed the monster, avenging the girls and his grandfather at the cost of releasing its spirit. 'Chapter 1' Before the chapter opens, Sam will be seen listening to a Washington Lodge The Stranger watches Sam from a distance as she gets off of the bus. Based on the human-like vision and breathing that make up the alternate camera angles along the path to the Washington Lodge and outside of the house itself, he is likely watching from the woods as the main characters arrive. At the end of the chapter, he can be seen riding up to Blackwood Pines in the cable car. 'Chapter 2' The Stranger follows Jessica and Mike up to the cabin. He can be seen behind Mike after he starts up the generator and when he jumps into the mines after Jessica. He is also seen watching Matt and Emily as they search for her bag. Chapter 3 The Stranger is mentioned on the back of a Native American Letter by Melinda Washington, who recalls seeing a "crazy guy" hanging around the generator shed. 'Chapter 4' After Mike chases after Jessica's attacker in the mines, he sees the Stranger walking out of the mines and toward the Sanatorium. Mike attempts to shoot him, thinking that he had killed Jessica, but his gun will jam, regardless of previous usage of the gun. 'Chapter 5' Mike follows the Stranger to the Sanatorium and watches him head inside. Mike continues to follow him and sees him inside the locked Chapel. After Mike finds a key card to the Chapel, he watches him disappear through a gated door and follows him yet again. 'Chapter 7' As Emily makes her way through the mines, the sounds of the Stranger's flamethrower and a Wendigo screeching can repeatedly be heard. After she finds her way to the top of the caverns, she notices him standing around the corner. She attempts to run away from him but hits a dead end, where the Stranger confronts her. 'Chapter 8' The Stranger hands Emily a pack of flares and tells her to get out of the mines. Soon afterwards, he manages to escape the mines and heads to the lodge. After entering through the front door and disarming either Chris or Mike of a gun, he orders the remaining survivors to listen to what he has to say. He explains that the mountain is cursed, and anyone who succumbs to cannibalism will unleash the spirit of the Wendigo and transform into one. He tells them to find somewhere safe to wait until dawn. This prompts Mike to remember that he left Josh tied up in the shed. The Stranger tells them that Josh will already be dead, but Chris insists on going after him. The Stranger tells Chris that going alone outside is suicide and offers to come with him. The Stranger and Chris walk to the shed and find that Josh has already been taken away by the Wendigo. As the Stranger warns Chris to get back to the lodge immediately, he discovers that a Wendigo has tracked them. At first, the Stranger tells Chris to stand still. Regardless whether Chris moves or not, the Wendigo notices both of them. The Stranger tries to burn the Wendigo but it dodges the attack. Knowing they are out in the open, the Stranger frantically tells Chris they must get out of here. Before the Stranger could act, the Wendigo decapitates him. Back at the lodge, the survivors find the Stranger's belongings. Among them is a map of Blackwood Pines and a journal detailing his experiences with the Wendigo. The journal tells the survivors that the Wendigo can only see people when they move, the only sure way to kill them is with fire, they can imitate people's voices, their bites are not infectious, and that whenever possible, they should be captured, not killed. 'Chapter 10' Sam and Mike find the Stranger's body hanging from the cavern ceiling on their way to find Josh. If Josh survives until dawn, he will become trapped in the mines and eat the Stranger's decapitated head, for survival purposes. Death Shortly after leaving the shed with Chris, they are attacked by a Wendigo. In an attempt to defend himself and Chris, the Stranger then fires his flamethrower, which the Wendigo dodges. It then lunges toward him swiftly, thus decapitating his head, and killing him instantly. Killed Victims *Makkapitew *6 Wendigos (may include Makkapitew) Trivia * The Stranger says that the Wendigo immobilizes its prey and later eats it alive, yet this style of death is not seen in the game when it attacks the protagonists. However, one of the wolves in the sanatorium is seen immobilized on a wall with its stomach cut open, and a deer encountered by Mike and Jess so the Wendigo could've be eating it alive this way. * The Stranger had used the machete that Mike finds. * His real name is Jack, as confirmed by the developers during a livestream on Twitch. ** The Stranger and his grandfather may have been based on early 20th Century Wendigo hunters Jack and Joseph Fiddler. The old newspaper clipping about his grandfather’s death mentions the grandfather’s last name being Fiddler (locals referred to him as Mad Dog Fiddler). * Larry Fessenden, the actor for The Stranger, was also one of the game's two main writers. ** Wendigos have also been featured in other titles that Fessenden wrote and/or directed before Until Dawn, including the 2001 film Wendigo and the episode "Skin and Bones" of the 2008 TV series Fear Itself. Quotes * "Use these! And get the hell out of here...now!" - The Stranger saving Emily. * "Ok. Everybody just calm down. Now just move over there. Go on, move! Let me say what I came to say I'm here to tell you what you're up against being back on this mountain. You should never have returned. I don't know why you did after what happened last year." - The Stranger warning the group. * "Well this mountain don't belong to me, it's true. But it don't belong to the Washingtons. This mountain belongs to the Wendigo." * "There is a curse. That dwells in these mountains. Should any man or woman resort to cannibalism in these woods the spirit of the Wendigo shall be unleashed." * "Ha! First, the Wendigo, he'll render you immobile. And then he strips the skin off of your entire body, piece by piece. And then he keeps you alive and aware and feasts on your organs, one piece at a time." * "RUN! GO! NOW! NOW! BACK! BACK! We're right out in the open, we gotta GET OUT OF HERE!"- The Stranger's last words. * "I couldn't save your friends. But I could avenge them. I hunted the Wendigo down and I doused it with fire. The Makkapitew was dead." - in the Events of the Past. ru:Незнакомец Category:Male Category:Characters Category:Deceased Characters Category:Supporting Characters